Bird Watcher's Digest: Home Bird Watcher's Digest Magazine The Backyard Birds Newsletter The Bird Watcher's Digest App Bird Watcher's Digest Nature Shop

Bird Identification

in

Common Tern

Sterna hirundo L 14 ½" (37cm)

Illustration by Julie Zickefoose.

Listen to a common tern.

The common tern is medium gray above, with a black cap and nape, and paler below. Most common terns for the majority of the year have a dark wedge or spike running from the tips of the outer primaries (the “fingertips”) toward the “wrist.” It is not extensive, running less than half the width of the wing at its widest, and much less as you get toward the tip of the wing. During breeding season the bill, which is black most of the year, is black tipped and the colorful base is dark red-orange. In breeding plumage the common tern is not white on the body as it is the rest of the year. Instead, the underparts are distinctly gray, only a bit paler than the back. The lower face, or cheek, is white, though, standing out rather starkly between the black cap and gray throat and neck.

Common terns breed in large colonies in northern North America and on the East Coast, and they are fairly common migrants on the Pacific coast from Washington south, rare in winter along the Gulf Coast and in southern California.

A distinctive call is a low, piercing, drawn-out kee-ar-r-r, also kit or tyik.

This sound file requires RealPlayer. Bird song courtesy of Lang Elliott, NatureSound Studio.

You Might Like

Additional References Suggested by Google:

The Backyard Bird Watcher's Answer Guide

This booklet answers 101 of the most-often-asked questions about birds. Bird Watcher's Digest editor Bill Thompson, III has compiled material from the magazine's decades of answering questions, offering tips and solving problems for backyard bird watchers. Only $4.99 in our store!

Buy now »

An Identification Guide to Common Backyard Birds

This booklet is designed to introduce you to-and help you identify-many of the most common feeder birds in North America. For each species you will find a color photograph, notes about how to identify the species, a summary of its range and the times of year it is present, and general information about the food and the type of feeder it prefers. Only $4.99 in our store!

Buy now »

Thistle Sock Bird Feeder

Sock it to the birds! This Thistle Sock feeder attracts a variety of thistle-loving birds. Its quality nylon construction allows you to enjoy its visitors all season long. Very easy to use and clean. Only $5.00 in our store!

Buy now »

Identifying and Feeding Birds

This readable, friendly guide is intended for bird watchers and non-bird watchers alike—for anyone who wants to enjoy nature right in his or her own backyard. The longtime editor of Bird Watcher's Digest and author of numerous books on birds, Bill Thompson, III, has been feeding and watching birds for 40 years. He has tried everything, and he shares what he's learned so that readers can avoid the mistakes and skip right to successful bird feeding. Only $14.95 in our store!

Buy now »

Reduce Window Strikes With Featherguard

It has been estimated that as many as 975 million birds are killed each year in North America in collisions with glass windows and buildings. FeatherGuard is uniquely effective because it combines bright color, motion, and the birds' natural aversion to loose feathers. In nature loose feathers are often a sign that a bird has been killed by a predator. Try FeatherGuard today and make your windows safer for your wild birds. Only $7.50 in our store!

Buy now »